Parallel Lines opens in Davis Gallery
21/09/09 Filed in: Up Coming Exhibitions
Parallel Lines
Recent works by Aimee Sones
Opening Reception Friday, October 2, 2009 6-9 PM
Available October 2-31
Aimee about Aimee’s work:
Maps, three dimensional models based on elevation, and elements of the electrical grid are just some of the linear structures found in my work. Lines and things come in many different forms: flat, dimensional, appearing in real and imagined spaces. These lines inform, impart, reveal natural and created order.
The work seen in Parallel Lines is my own interpretation of images that penetrate the collective unconscious; memories fade away and I retrace my steps, recalling my own experience in many states across the country, including Ohio, California, Oregon, Washington, New York, Indiana and Illinois. The work in this show duplicates familiar forms and the physical elements of the grid that connects us to one another, as well as our own consumption.
A little background:
Aimee Sones was born and raised in southern California. She attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio where she earned a BFA. Returning to California, she continued her studies at California State University, Fullerton in metals, sculpture and glass. In 2008, Sones completed her MFA in glass at the Ohio State University, and has also studied at The Pilchuck Glass School and Urban Glass. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions in California, Alabama and Ohio at the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, The Laguna Art Museum, Roy G Biv Gallery, Space 301 and The Ohio Urban Arts Space.
PRESS RELEASE BELOW PICTURES
PRESS RELEASE:
The Light Within Our Urban Blight
In a society that increasingly wants more things to be wireless, at least one person may disagree. Visual artist Aimee Sones’ latest body of work draws inspiration from the web of telephone, cable, and electric wires that cross our horizon, segment our views of the sky, and grid our landscape. Her exhibition entitled “Parallel Lines: Recent Works by Aimee Sones” opens at the Monongalia Arts Center on Friday, October 2, 2009 from 6-9PM in the Davis Gallery for Emerging Artists.
Currently based in Columbus, Ohio, Sones was born and raised in southern California. Aimee has a broad studio practice, working with blown, flame-worked, and kiln-formed glass; video and photography; and metal sculpture. She attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio where she earned a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees. Returning to California, she continued her studies at California State University, Fullerton in metals, sculpture, and glass. In 2008, Sones completed her Master of Fine Arts degree in glass at the Ohio State University. She has also studied at The Pilchuck Glass School, Urban Glass, and The Studio at The Corning Museum of Glass.
Through a variety of materials, Sones explores forms relating to industry and infrastructure and the role these forms play in our daily lives. Some of her favorite forms include freeways, bridges, maps, windmills, and quarries. Currently, she is focused on several projects that follow the parallel lines seen in telephone and other electrical wires, presenting the viewer with a question of whether these lines and structures are visual nuisances or detail an intricacy, complexity, and beauty to be admired. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions nationally, having shown in venues such as the Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, The Laguna Art Museum, Roy G Biv Gallery, Space 301, and The OSU Urban Arts Space.
John Javins, curator at MAC, was more than impressed by her work the first time he saw it while visiting Columbus, Ohio. He said, “Aimee’s work is on the cutting edge of current movement in art that reinterprets how we perceive essential but unnoticed elements of our civil landscape. I think her work has an appeal to everyone – from the long-time consumer of the arts, to someone who visits a gallery for the first time.” Ro Brooks, Executive Director of MAC, also expressed interest in Sones’ work. “Our region has such a tie to industry,” Brooks commented, “and to see these forms and structures redone in such a thoughtful and beautiful way is truly remarkable.”
Currently, Sones assists artist Ann Hamilton and teaches a variety of glass classes at the Springfield Museum of Art. She also continues to document industrial lines and structures across the US and hopes to travel abroad to expand the scope of her projects.
The opening reception for “Parallel Lines” will be Friday, October 2, 2009 from 6:00PM to 9:00PM in the Davis Gallery on the second floor of the Monongalia Arts Center. This opening coincides with Arts Walk 2009 and “Views from a Riverbank” by Erin Webb opening in MAC Benedum gallery. The reception is free and open to the public. While the Davis Gallery is not accessible to those with disabilities, images of the art work are available for viewing in the lobby of MAC. The exhibition will run through October 31, 2009. For more information, please visit the MAC website at www.monartscenter.com or call 304-292-3325.
